# Cervical Remodeling in the Postpartum Period

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2022 · $46,752

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
380,000 infants are born preterm each year and account for 67% of infant deaths. Currently, there are no early,
reliable, non-invasive indicators to determine the risk for spontaneous preterm birth before symptoms arise.
Nevertheless, women who have delivered prematurely are at a 30% increased risk of recurrent preterm birth
making a previous spontaneous preterm birth the strongest known risk factor for recurrence. Recently,
investigators have reported that women who deliver spontaneous preterm have decreased collagen
concentration and increased collagen disorganization early in gestation that can contribute to a mechanically
weak cervix; however, the process of cervical remodeling after delivery is poorly understood and only a few
studies have investigated collagen concentration and organization after birth. Due to a lack of noninvasive
technology, it was never before possible to evaluate human cervical microstructure without a biopsy. For the
first time, the opportunity to measure the collagen and elastic properties of the cervix noninvasively is possible
with quantitative ultrasound (QUS). Innovative, noninvasive QUS technology specialized to detect
microstructure changes in tissue has shown promise in detecting cervical changes in the pregnant rat cervix and
in human pilot studies. In this prospective, longitudinal study, the aim is to determine the feasibility of conducting
a yearlong study that evaluates whether changes in human cervical remodeling that led to spontaneous preterm
birth continued in the postpartum period. Furthermore, investigators will attempt to fill the scientific gap in
knowledge by determining if low ultrasound biomarkers (attenuation, backscatter coefficient, and shear wave
speed) during pregnancy and postpartum were associated with spontaneous preterm birth. Ultimately, the goal
is to determine the feasibility of conducting the study and to determine if ultrasound biomarkers will provide a
scientific basis to accurately identify women at risk for recurrent spontaneous preterm birth.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10487429
- **Project number:** 5F31NR019716-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Michelle Villegas-Downs
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $46,752
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-21 → 2024-01-20

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10487429

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10487429, Cervical Remodeling in the Postpartum Period (5F31NR019716-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10487429. Licensed CC0.

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